A lesbian identity disclosure assessment: ALIDA instrument.
OBJECTIVE
Disclosure of lesbian sexual identity has been associated with greater self-esteem, less anxiety, and greater relationship satisfaction. Nondisclosure interferes with supportive, congenial, and intimate relationships with important people in their lives. Lesbian mothers choose nondisclosure to protect their children from social, psychological, and physical harm. Since disclosure is a health concern, ALIDA was designed to measure disclosure for lesbian mothers.


METHODS
ALIDA is a written, self-administered instrument with 15 questions that fall under 6 categories. It was tested on 360 lesbian mothers from 38 U.S. states.


RESULTS
ALIDA was one-dimensional, reliable (.79), and had face and concurrent validity. Regression indicated that 58% of the scores were predicted by eight variables.


CONCLUSIONS
ALIDA measures disclosure and should be used in more studies.
van Dam
Mary Ann A
MA
San Francisco State University, School of Nursing, 1600 Holloway Dr., Burke Hall 361, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA. vandam@sfsu.edu
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012650:Self Disclosure; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires